Life in the Rioja wine district of Spain

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Navarra holds a special place in my heart. It’s one of Spain’s most beautiful regions, from the rolling green hills of the pre-Pyrenees in the north to valleys carved by rushing rivers and dotted with picturesque villages and the muted green and ochre landscape on the banks of the Ebro river.

My love for the place is enhanced by the magic of the “fiesta” of San Fermín in Pamplona from July 6 through the 14th that I first experienced in 1971 and have been returning to almost every year.

No one can say they’ve experienced Navarra without tasting the wines produced there. For many years Navarra wines lived in the shadow of their southerly neighbor Rioja and sales stagnated. The Navarrese took a bold step a few years ago by approving the use of several international grape varieties – cabernet sauvignon, merlot, pinot noir and syrah for reds and chardonnay, muscatel and sauvignon blanc for whites to differentiate themselves from Rioja. Another smart move was to keep the old vine garnacha that grew in the Ebro valley while Rioja pulled theirs up to plant more tempranillo.

Several weeks ago, the DO Navarra organized a wine festival in Pamplona to highlight the wines from 29 producers. It was a great chance to see what Navarra was up to wine-wise.

It would have been impossible to taste everything so I concentrated on whites made from “international” varietals and garnacha-based reds (plus a few others that caught my eye – or should I say, nose).

After the tasting we had a pintxo at the Café Roch (Pamplona’s oldest bar), lunch around the corner at Catachu and a gin & tonic (the best ones in town!) at the Bar Baviera. We slept on the bus back to Logroño. It was a perfect day!

I urge you to take a look around your favorite wine shop or check out Wine Searcher for wines from Navarra. They deserve wider recognition.